seachange

Definition

A movement of people from cities to rural coastal areas.

Etymology

From sea + change; sense 1 (“movement of people from cities to rural coastal areas; act of relocating from an urban to a rural coastal community”) was possibly coined by the Australian author and demographer Bernard Salt in his book The Big Shift (2001), based on the title of the Australian television series SeaChange (1998–2000 and 2019) about a lawyer who moved with her daughters from the city to a coastal town.

Example Sentences

• "The seachange shift was initiated by retirees from the late 1960s although it did acquire a spiritual status when embraced by the boomers from 2001 onwards. […] The drivers of treechange and seachange are the same: people wanting a simpler life in a pleasant town with all the amenities not too far from their interests in the city."
• "For example, the ‘seachange’ and ‘treechange’ movements have seen transitions in rural and regional communities, with the influx of wealthy city-dwellers increasing the price of housing and demanding the provision of particular services and facilities[…]."
• "This is supported by consultant reports she found online, whose interpretations of ABS data point to the emergence of seachange and treechange towns that have increasing demand for services. (Seachange and treechange are terms used to describe people moving out of cities to coastal or rural areas.)"